Answer me!"

He bowed. There was a perceptible return of his stubborn cynicism when
he spoke.

"The facts are obvious, Miss Deane. The loss of the _Sirdar_ will
not be definitely known for many days. It will be assumed that she has
broken down. The agents in Singapore will await cabled tidings of her
whereabouts. She might have drifted anywhere in that typhoon.
Ultimately they will send out a vessel to search, impelled to that
course a little earlier by your father's anxiety. Pardon me. I did not
intend to pain you. I am speaking my mind."

"Go on," said Iris bravely.

"The relief ship must search the entire China Sea. The gale might have
driven a disabled steamer north, south, east or west. A typhoon travels
in a whirling spiral, you see, and the direction of a drifting ship
depends wholly upon the locality where she sustained damage. The coasts
of China, Java, Borneo, and the Philippines are not equipped with
lighthouses on every headland and cordoned with telegraph wires. There
are river pirates and savage races to be reckoned with. Casting aside
all other possibilities, and assuming that a prompt search is made to
the south of our course, this part of the ocean is full of reefs and
small islands, some inhabited permanently, others visited occasionally
by fishermen." He was about to add something, but checked himself.

"To sum up," he continued hurriedly, "we may have to remain here for
many days, even months. There is always a chance of speedy help. We
must act, however, on the basis of detention for an indefinite period.